Just Checking Up! Part Thirteen: I Simply Don't Belong

Silks:

People bustled around me, the noise of the mall swelling by the second. Every passing footfall brought me closer to shorter breaths, a tip bringing me here. By myself, I might add. Fussing with my sleek black sweater dress, the new black boot provided me with a bit of stability. Searching for the bright side of the situation, a flurry of bad moods kept that at bay.

“I don’t belong here.” I mumbled angrily under my breath, my emerald earring earpiece going off. “What do you want?” Rip cleared his throat, his men shouting in the disguised van. Commanding them to shut the hell up, his simple request was for me to adjust my iridescent framed glasses. Granted, they were disguised as a camera. What else was new for someone like me? Picking up on a couple of creepy elderly people following me, the bait had been picked up. Cold eyes tracked me wandering into a maternity store, the next step frightening the crap out of me. Digging through the racks of clothing, harsh whispers captured my ears. Wrinkles flashed in the corner of my eyes, a filthy rag covering my mouth. Flipping on my hidden tracking device, everything blurred before a rough slumber stole me away.

Groaning awake, a chain tied me to a column in some abandoned ballroom in a decrepit hotel. Shit, the glasses were nowhere to be seen. Scanning the room, items for some sort of ceremony greeted me. What the hell! Yelling into my knees, a migraine throbbed to life. Sitting here and waiting was the order but the supplies told me otherwise. Staring numbly ahead, horrible memories of bitter blood drawings paralyzed me. Silent tears danced my cheeks, a tremble coming over my muscles. Biting my bottom lip until it bled to snap me back to reality, a slow clap brought terror back into my eyes. Praying that it wasn’t the dreaded owl masks, such luck wouldn’t be granted to me. Glancing up slowly, golden owl masks glinted in the swinging yellow light. A loud fuck burst from my lips, their violent nature being known through the shredded corpses in makeshift pellets.

“What the hoot is this about?” I asked playfully, the shaky tone not leaving my voice. “Shit, you have me shaking in my boot. That doesn’t usually happen. Would you like a cookie for that?” Fluttering their feather cloaks in pure annoyance, a few nerves had been struck. Unable to smile with determination, this problem proved to be rather nuanced. Coming at me with a golden curved blade, a slick swing cut nicked my cheek. Leaning down close enough to bathe me with hot wine breath, my hair stood up on the back of my neck.

“How about we test your blood to see if we can actually summon what your parents couldn’t?” A cruel lady’s voice mused darkly, her tongue licking my cheek. Shuddering in response, disgust mixed poorly with my swelling anxiety. Twirling over to a bubbling cauldron, a drop had a circle glowing to life around me. Holy fuck, this shit actually worked. Sobbing discreetly, terror widened my eyes. Lights flickered wildly, powerful chanting strengthening the glow of the strange symbols. Clawed hands reached over the edge of the circle, the bright red skin raising alarm. Noticing water next to me, a break in the circle should end this. Kicking it with my boot, water melted the special paint. Fizzling out, a force yanked the hand back from whence it came. Too stunned to even have a panic attack, no words would leave my tongue. Demons weren’t supposed to be real. Sure, people could be monsters but that show had me questioning any basic beliefs. Breathing became a hot commodity, the chains clattering to the carpet. Claws danced up my arm, a scream exploding from my lips. Bodies floated into the air, blood and guts soaking me to the bone upon an explosion. Owl masks shattered inches from my boot, a sulfuric scent wafting up my nose. Struggling to my feet, hallways expanded beyond comprehension. Limping as fast as I could manage, lead paint covered doors slammed open and shut.

“Help! Help!” I cried out hoarsely, clopping echoing behind me. “God, if you are there! Protect me from whatever fresh hell that fucking is!” Ringing echoed in my ear, a cleansing energy blasted a majority of the beasts out of the hotel. Sliding down the closest wall, so much mess covered me that Carrie would have looked cleaned compared to me. Wondering if my hallucinations were hallucinations or spirits, red and blue lights gave rise to another wave of problems. Slipping into the closest room, a sea of mirrors dawned the greatest seed of regret. Ruby painted every inch of my skin, chunks of organ sickening me. Scurrying into the darkest corner, nothing would grant me sanctuary. The door creaked open, Rip brushing past the mirrors. Crouching down to my level, equal horror matched mine. Cracks danced up the mirrors, clawed hands of all colors reached out of the cracks. Frozen in my corner, Rip’s lips parted several times.

“Am I imagining that or that real?” He stammered with a draining face, that pallor matching mine underneath the mess all over my features. “Please tell me that I am imagining things. Demons can’t be r-” Eight foot tall horned beings climbed out of their traps, hooves and clawed feet stomping towards us. Unable to register the chaos being unleashed, banging fists on a newly locked door brought me back into the current situation. Remembering a spell from a white magic book, a slice on a shard of glass allowed enough fresh ruby to pool in my palm. Getting on my knees, a few dips birthed a circle of protective symbols around our quaking bodies. Running through the spells in my head, making up one would have to do. If they could summon demons, something had to send them back. Something had to work or everyone was about to hit Hell a bit early.

“I call upon the light to vanquish what is dark!” I chanted rather less than boldly, Rip exchanging odd looks with me. “Please! Please do as I say! I don’t want to die, damn it!” Slamming my palm onto the closest symbol, a fiery glow crackling to life within my symbols. Wondering why it was a bright orange, curiosity mixed with childlike wonder. Channeling what good vibrations that I could manage into it, a wave of deep orange flames decayed the demons to piles of ash. Picking on heat about my nostrils, one dab painted my fingertips a shimmering deep scarlet. Sweet serenity clarified the property, Rip pressing a handkerchief flush to my aching nostril.

“Not that I want to know how you memorized those symbols, thank you for saving me.” He spoke softly, fear melting into a loving expression. “Nice spell by the way. I wouldn’t have known what to say. How do I explain it to the pricks above our heads?” Shame dimmed my eyes, disgust joining the horrid hurricane of emotions howling within the chaos of my mind.

“Truth, tell him the truth.” I choked out brokenly, a numb expression haunting my features. “Demons are real, magic is real. That means that their plan can happen. What the hell?” Struggling to swallow today’s events, a shower would do little to ease my cracking composure. Rip tripled in front of me, a rough slumber stealing me away.

Sucking in a deep breath, machines beeped around me. Sterile hospital walls taunted me, a gray smoke curled up to the end of the bed. Ripping out the butterfly needle from the top of my hand, icy fear nipped me upon my bare feet meeting a dirt covered hospital floor. Limping to the swinging ivory door, gray skinned people roamed aimlessly. Any color drained from my cheeks, fat tears disappearing into the fog. Nightmares like these haunted my childhood, a knobby hand yanking me into the hall. Milky eyes snapped in my direction, shortening breaths preceding the odd looking people circling me. Eerie silence claimed the space, an undeniable shiver coming over me. Screeching at once, anger permeated the air. What the hell was this place? Charging at me, a glowing form dragged me into a supply closet. Disappearing before any questions, banging fists rattled the door. Jamming a chair underneath the door knob, no joy met me covering my ears. Sinking to my knees, a scream exploded from my lips. Noticing a vent, an idea snapped me out of my panic attack. Climbing the closest shelf, a couple of yanks had metal clanging to the floor. Heaving myself into the large square, an army crawl granted me the freedom I needed to keep my sanity. Crawling through the shrinking space, an ancient surgery sickened me. Moving on to the next one, a nurse uniform caught my eyes. Kicking the vent out, every muscle shouted in protest as I lowered myself down. Changing into a nurse’s outfit, the fifties’ style hugged my bump and aching breasts. Twisting my hair into a messy bun, a drop of matching hat confirmed my disguise. Poking my head out, a doctor shoved me into an empty room. Pinning me to the wall, something about his ear to ear grin sent chills up my spine.

“Why allow you to get back to your body when we could possess it instead?” He mused darkly, his hand running through his thick black hair. “Good luck getting out of this trap, Nurse Silks! May no one have mercy on your soul.” Slamming the door shut on me, a lock clicking pissed me off more than anything. Crashing onto the bed, plans had to be formed to get back before the vultures turned me into nothing more than a meat puppet. Tapping my boot on the edge of the bed, the lock clicking had me sitting up. Watching the door swing open, Rip’s voice called for me. Sneaking towards it, not one set eyes met mine. Poking my head around the corner, hungry spirits towered over the entry point of my soul. Panicked yelling had their head snapping in my general direction, a scurry into the shadows deterred any detection. Creeping into my room, a string connected me to the bright white hole over my bed. Glancing back, screeches of all kinds echoed down the hall.

“Wake up, damn it!” I begged through gritted teeth, chaos fast approaching. “Wake up! Wake up!” A gush of hot energy forced me through the hole, my soul meeting its body.

Sucking in another deep breath, machines beeped around me. Mavis and the others rushed up to my side to fret over me with tears of sweet relief. Wondering if our team was doing okay, a special sight caught my eyes. How peculiar? A single nurse’s spirit waved from the door before floating away, Rip’s feverish kisses drawing me back into the flurry of welcome attention. Catching my breath, a dull ache throbbed in my chest. Cupping my cheeks, his lips hovered over mine.

“Where the hell did you go?” He whispered discreetly, the others backing off. “Don’t you dare lie to me. Too much weird shit has happened. After seeing your body grow limp for no reason, nothing held me together. Do you guys think you could go grab her a change of clothes or something?” Understanding the underlying cause of his request, Sally Sue pecked the top of my head while leaving me a slice of peanut butter pie.

“Eat up after traveling in that dreaded place.” She choked out awkwardly, truth hiding underneath her smile. “Taco salad is still your favorite, right? How about I come back with a fresh bowl of that delicious magic?” Shooting her a shaky thumbs up, the aftermath of my nightmares wore her thin back in the day. Exiting after hearty bear hugs, a pensive pause hung between Rip and me. Mulling over a possible explanation, words refused to leave my tongue.

“When I was younger, nightmares took me to dark places.” I stammered between sniffles, silent tears staining my cheeks. “Witchcraft was common in my house, the side effects poisoning my life. Every chance I could escape, I found my way to the library. Soaking in those White magic books did little to stop them.” Pressing my forehead into his chest, his palm attempted to massage the panic away.

“Maybe I am actually seeing ghosts.” I sighed dejectedly into his chest, his finger lifting up my chin. Kissing my tears away, my breath hitched. Sobs slowed to a stop, our foreheads meeting. Our breaths became one, his palm grazing my cheek. Basking in the moment, both of us had survived that horrible event of a supernatural nature.

“There we go. I would bet my life that you were seeing ghosts.” He comforted me sweetly, a tiny quake coming over his hand. “With your skills, safety isn’t a problem. Silks, the team is alive because of you. Not anyone else. Shit, I would be dead if you weren’t working with me that day.” Fighting his own wave of tears, his mind needed time to comprehend what had occurred. Pressing my lips against his tenderly, a rare serenity settled his fraying nerves. Releasing him from my spell, a long breath drew from our lips.

“Bad luck follows me around like a sad little puppy dog. What else can I say?” I spoke softly, a bit of defiance returning to my features. “One thing is for certain, those bastards won’t end the world under my watch. Your team is my team which makes them family in my eyes. If I have to learn how to use magic to protect you guys, then nothing will stop me. Loneliness will never be an option. That bullshit sucks ass. Rip, such matters were hidden for a reason. Most people hate me for the sin I committed, so I hid the nightmare thing from everyone else to keep what I had going. No matter how hard I try to bury my past, it always bites me in the ass. People would run or tear me to shreds for no reason. Burying things never really solves it, huh?” Scooting onto the bed, his arms yanked onto his lap. Placing his chin on my head, his palms rubbing my bump grounded him back into an agitated but stable composure.

“Let this king soak up your bad luck, its dark powers claiming you no more. My fair maiden, your future may seem bleak or something along those lines. Let it be known, your home is in my heart.” He shouted playfully, scarlet painting my cheeks. “Seriously, all this paranormal shit makes you sexier in my eyes. Nothing like being married to a witch. I can officially say you bewitched me.” A fit of laughter burst from our lips, happy tears mixing with our bad ones. Wondering how he could bring me to a place of tainted joy, his humor always hit just right.

“My dear king, your humor knows no bounds.” I giggled between snorts, pride glistening in his eyes. “Let it be known, this love spell will never be undone. Forever will it be cast upon thee. Hopefully you don’t mind.” Chuckling into my back, moments like these should last for an eternity. Loving eyes met mine, our marriage proving to be my solace in the revolving door of madness. Noticing the lack of blood on my skin for the first time, scars caused a bit of anxiety to return to me.

“Scars tell a story but do not make you ugly.” He pointed out huskily, a shadow of a smile dawning on my lips. “Everyone of them is more unique than the next.” Intertwining our fingers, a new wave of comfort melted me into a puddle. How could one person do this to me?

“So we aren’t rigid all the time.” He teased with a wink, a goofy smirk shutting down my retort. “Happy to see you in a delightful mood. What shall we watch?” Shrugging my shoulders, the choice could be his. Members of our team skidded in behind a frantic nurse, her hands raising in defeat with every footfall away.

“Silks, are you okay?” Everyone demanded at once, fresh tears preparing themselves in my waterline. Dozens of bouquets were shoved into my face, Rip massaging his forehead. Seconds from reprimanding them, a stern look from me shut him down. Answering their questions with my genuine smile, a natural ease hung in the air. Joking with them, my presence had always belonged to our misfit crew. Asking them to pull up chairs, something felt so cozy with them around. Thanking the big guy upstairs for my new family, a big prayer for their safety plagued my mind. Throw me into the pits of Hell but leave them out of it.